Music: Son Volt heading to Boston with new album, 'Union'

By Jay N. Miller/For The Patriot Ledger

Friday

Apr 26, 2019 at 1:38 AM

From the start, the group Son Volt has explored rock ‘n’ roll’s roots in folk, country and blues music, so in that respect their latest album “Union” is right in line with their particularly sublime blend of Americana. But the latest album is also focused on preserving another cherished tradition of American music, which is exemplified by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan: commenting on topical matters and current events. The band's national tour celebrating the new album started last week and hits Boston on May 2.

Son Volt leader Jay Farrar, the singer/songwriter who has led the band since its inception, admits this is their most politically tinged work ever, and with pointed tunes like “The 99,” “While Rome Burns,” and “Reality Winner,” there can be little doubt about that. But the new album, released March 29, also has about half its songs about other subjects, such as the gleeful rockers’ autobio/gear rundown “Devil May Care,” or the tenacity anthem “Holding Your Own,” or the deep and nuanced love song “The Reason.”

Yet, in this atmosphere we’re living in, it’s inevitable that Farrar’s topical jibes will be provocative.

“Everyday there’s something new and interesting in the news,” Farrar said, laughing, when we caught up with him from his St. Louis home. “We just had our first show of this tour last night, and it is going well. We had folks flying in from Ireland, Germany and Vancouver, just to see us, and the response to the music was good. For me, the key is that I’m not ever writing about one person in these songs. I’m more reflecting the collateral damage we’re seeing from all the things that are happening. It’s true of course, that I am writing from the headlines, about stories I find that move me, but it is not by any means an album just about agreeing or disagreeing with one person and their policies.”

“Reality Winner” is an apt example of Farrar’s approach, as it is not about who most people might think it’s about, but rather about an intelligence analyst, who was found responsible for releasing information about government malfeasance, and sentenced to years in prison. The point of Farrar’s song, which is a wistful sort of ballad, is that the malfeasance may still be going on, the foreign interference still unchecked.

“Reality Winner” is about this female analyst whose story I found compelling,” said Farrar. “The fact is that she was a merchant of truth, a whistleblower for all the right reasons, and now she’s doing hard time. It’s frustrating that this is the way things turned out, but I felt it was important to let others know her story.”

One of the most striking numbers ends the album, as “The Symbol” tells the story of a Mexican immigrant, a decade in the United States, who helped rebuild New Orleans, yet suddenly finds himself and his family being deported. The title refers to the line “the symbol of freedom must stand the test of time ...” and it is a moving rocker, alluding to the United States traditional embrace of immigrants.

“That song is kind of a collection of stories I had come across,” Farrar said. “There were a lot of Mexican workers brought in to rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, and so that’s a part of ‘The Symbol.’ And then the whole DACA controversy was coming to a head while I was writing, and so I brought it all in there. I know we don’t see as many immigrants in St Louis, or Chicago, as some places, but the ones I’ve seen all seem to be hard-working folks, so you’d like to see that situation straightened out.”

Obviously, if there’s one song that takes a decisive position, it is “The 99,” with its rousing choruses “99 percent, 99 percent, it’s a trickle down world, like you’re stuck in cement ...” In a bit of superbly concise writing, the lyrics touch on economic imbalance, environmental disregard and traditional values being upended if not ignored.

“I think the roots of my writing ‘The 99’ go back to the Dakota Pipeline protests,” Farrar noted. “And then as I worked on it over time, I tried to weave in some things from the Occupy Wall Street protests and a lot of other things too. But I think it all gets back to that 99 percent vs. 1 percent issue, which colors everything.”

The title cut to “Union” is where Farrar tries to bring it all together, decrying the separation and discord that keeps the country in such turmoil. Lines like “Privileged and the poor, Every class and every color, Together in spirit, Building blocks of a nation ...” are presented with acoustic slide guitar enhancing its yearning quality. And then the tag line, “He said national service will keep the union together ...” provides food for thought with its Lincolnesque tone.

“The song ‘Union’ is where I try to find the bridge between the sides,” Farrar explained. “That’s exactly what got me thinking that the things we’re facing reminded me of the songs from the Civil War. This whole concept of how we view each other, how we talk to each other. Words matter and right now the words we’re using to talk to each other are not helping us reunite. We really have to find a better path.”

“While Rome Burns” deals with the same general themes, depicting the self-defeating nature of the constant turmoil, while also noting “the interstates connect more than divide ...” and things only get worse if nothing is done.

“That’s the song where I mention George Orwell,” noted Fararr. “That’s a big part of it, the ‘double-speak’ being used is definitely part of the problem, where words mean different things to different sides, and we can’t even agree on facts.”

“Broadsides” is another interesting statement and if the title is taken from the old idea of local press or the old folk music paper, the song itself is more a bluesy meditation, a hope that truth will prevail.

“I’ve never thought of it that way, but I guess you’re right, it is a kind of meditation,” Farrar mused. “There are repetitive lines and that kind of gospel flavor to it.”

But Farrar didn’t want Son Volt’s new record to be all serious and thoughtful, and there are a bunch of their classic roots rockers too. “The Reason” is simply gorgeous, with textured guitars that will evoke the classic Byrds sound, while its lyrics are both a love song and a message to seize the moment.

“I’ve always been a huge fan of The Byrds and more recently I’ve been listening to a lot of Tom Petty,” said Farrar. “That song also represents how I changed my approach about midway through the writing process for this record. I decided I wanted to do some non-topical songs too and I think that led to a better result, a more balanced record where there are some fun songs too. ‘The Reason’ is just done in our homage to that classic Byrds/Petty sound with a 12-string guitar all over it.”

And of course “Devil May Care” is a hoot, with its pell mell story of a rock show interwoven with descriptions of musical gear.

“I think that song brings us back to the essence of what we were all about,” said Farrar with a chuckle. “I’m thinking of a lot of other bands we knew and loved, like The Replacements on nights when they’d be falling off the stage, or the whole Rolling Stones ethos. Lyrically I was having a bit of fun there, referencing all the hyperbolic language you see on instrument packages. There always seems to be these over-the-top adjectives used and I was able to get a lot of them in ‘Devil May Care.’”

Farrar and his mates were serious about channeling the spirit of Guthrie and other forebears, so much so that part of the album was recorded at Tulsa’s Woody Guthrie Center and also at the Mother Jones Museum in Illinois, dedicated to the early 1900s labor organizer. That attitude is also why the band enjoyed doing an updated arrangement of “Rebel Girl,” by the labor organizer from a century ago, Joe Hill.

“We really wanted to highlight the contributions those folks made to our country,” said Farrar. “The challenge was putting it all together and getting our mobile recording gear out there. But we decided, let’s take a field trip and get inspired, and I’m so glad we did. It added a different dimension to the music. I had come across Joe Hill indirectly. Listening to Bob Dylan’s music led me to Woody Guthrie, where I learned that Joe Hill was a precursor to Woody, who had a little Joe Hill songbook at one time. That’s the great thing about music, where it leads you, like I had long ago followed the Beatles and found out about Buck Owens through them."